As a producer, singer and songwriter who has been in the game for practically a decade, award-winning musician Soundz gives his insight on the direction of R&B and shares his thoughts on the mislabeling of the genre as Pop when the singer of the song just so happens to be the opposite of what a stereotypical R&B singer looks like, white.
“They’re afraid to call it R&B because R&B is pretty much stagnant in the black community as that’s the music for us,” the 30-year old Milwaukee-native says. “R&B is music for everybody. It’s not just for black culture. We make it but it’s not just for us.”
Soundz has worked on some of the biggest records over the past decade including Usher’s “Love In This Club Part II” featuring Beyonce and Lil’ Wayne off his 2008 Here I Stand project, Rihanna’s “Skin” on her 2010 Grammy-nominated album Loud and last year’s party anthem “Throw Some Mo,'” by rap duo Rae Sremmurd featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug.
Although the genre has been void of TLC for a minute now, the record producer remains optimistic that R&B will make its come back, just like everything else in life, with his own plans of taking on the genre.
“I’m more optimistic about it than hating on it,” the Justin Bieber-producer says. “I’m looking at it like yall saying it’s bad for R&B and I’m saying it’s perfect. Perfect room for someone to come in and do some dynamic shit. I always look at the glass half full.”
Soundz also took the time to discuss his style of fashion with us describing his panache as “a culmination of Yeezy-meets-Where’s-Waldo-meets-high-fashion” coupled with an affinity for skullys (he REALLY does love his skullys) before enthusiastically praising Kanye West‘s Yeezy Season 1 collection as the “future.”
“He really is and I think people are now just really figuring this out,” Soundz says. “He’s always been in the future and we always talk shit about it but when it happens it’s like he already had this idea years before it came out so it’s kind of like we are all taking it in a sense we are our own creators and we can make whatever we want. It’s just about people believing in it and you got somebody that can put it out if you just believe in them to put the shoe out. He has Shoe Of The Year now so his whole statement, his whole movement is just dope.”
Watch the rest of our interview for more on Soundz’s thoughts on R&B and what it’s like working with his close friends Justin Bieber and Jeremih.
Catrise J is the owner of Vault of 1520 and Content Creator for Dirty Glove Bastard (DGB). Catrise is a self described “free-spirit” and always shares what’s on her mind. She enjoys Hip Hop, nature, reading, 420 and 90’s R&B. Her idols include Angie Martinez, Tupac, Oprah, and Warren Buffet. You can connect with Catrise on social media.
